Our Story

LEAF Global Arts started as the Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF) in 1995, founded by Jennifer Pickering at Lake Eden in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Connecting cultures and creating community through music, arts education, and experiences to cultivate curiosity, preserve cultures, and promote global understanding is the mission of  LEAF Global Arts (LEAF), founded in 1995 by Jennifer Pickering (currently LEAF’s Visionary Connector & Founder). A dedicated team continues to work to bring LEAF's mission to life year-round through cultural arts education programs — locally, with LEAF Schools & Streets, and globally, with LEAF International, supporting culture keepers in 10 countries.

The genesis of LEAF Global Arts was the LEAF Festival, which continues today as Lake Eden Reunion on the historical site of Lake Eden Retreat in Black Mountain. With a vision for creating new levels of sustainability and mission fulfillment, Pickering and the team planned and created LEAF Global Arts Experience, which opened in February 2020 on The Block at the Historic Club Del Cardo. This project was encouraged by Explore AVL staff and activated by a BCTPDF grant. Much care and intentionality were taken to build a team of local African American and international curators to honor the history, the present, and the future. 

Growing Beyond the Festival Grounds

Over the decades, LEAF has grown into a year-round movement. It has hosted 67 signature festivals, welcomed over 550,000 attendees from 117 countries, featured 31,200+ performers, and served more than 40,000 local community members through events that boost tourism and economic impact. The organization has pioneered youth arts education via the LEAF Schools & Streets program launched in 2004, and cultural preservation via LEAF International. LEAF's entrepreneurial spirit has been a strong factor in creating new pathways and standards for festivals, events, and arts education.

In 2026, LEAF Global Arts transitioned from operating as an independent nonprofit to becoming part of Camp Grier. This transition allows us to focus on what has always been at the heart of LEAF: arts education and cultural preservation. We are excited to share the next chapter of that work.